Polish prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old Ukrainian national, identified as Illia K., with 47 counts of sabotage allegedly carried out on behalf of Russian intelligence. The Internal Security Agency (ABW) stated on Tuesday that the suspect was arrested in August 2024 following an investigation into efforts to provoke ethnic tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
The charges include the desecration of memorials dedicated to the victims of the Volhynia massacre, a World War II-era mass killing of Poles by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Prosecutors allege the suspect defaced monuments in Warsaw, Domostawa, and Wrocław with symbols glorifying the UPA to incite public friction. Additionally, he is accused of planning to fly a drone over the Polish president’s vehicle during a military parade.
Investigators claim the suspect was recruited via a messaging service and paid in cryptocurrencies registered in Russia and China. According to the ABW, the suspect recruited others to assist in these acts and provided photographic evidence to his handlers. While the motive of the foreign handlers was described as political, prosecutors noted the suspect appears to have acted for financial gain. If convicted, he faces a potential sentence of life in prison.